NOTE For 2010: Blue Buffalo is back on the list after agreeing to list who and where the food is made. Eagle Pack Holistic and Wellness dog foods were acquired by WellPet - which is owned by Berwind Corp. ( http://www.berwind.com/companies.htm ).

 New addition for 2008 is transparency. For the first time, this year we required each company who, in the past, had a product on our "approved dry dog food" list to divulge, for publication, information about their manufacturing sites. Nine companies either refused to tell us or there was no response to our inquiry. Those 9 have been REMOVED from our current approved list of dry foods. NOTE: several of the companies have since given this information and have been returned to the list of approved foods.

 We look for foods that contain a lot of high-quality animal proteins. Wed love manufacturers to disclose the percentage of meat, poultry, or fish in their food, but they rarely do, so we look for foods that appear to have lots of animal protein. Ingredients are listed by weight, so ideally a food will have one or two animal proteins in the first few ingredients.Understand that whole meat (chicken, beef, lamb, etc.) contains a lot of water weight. If a food list starts out with chicken (rather than chicken meal), and there is no other animal protein listed until 7th or 8th on the list, the food does not actually contain a lot of animal protein. But if it starts out with chicken, and chicken meal (or another named animal meal, such as lamb meal) is number two or three on the list, chances are the product contains an admirable amount of animal protein. Animal proteins tend to be more palatable and bio available than plant proteins and offer a wider array of essential and nonessential amino acids.

 We reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products. Its just about impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products used by a food manufacturer. Weve spoken to representatives who swore they used only the finest sources of by-products, but when asked, they all say that! The fact is, there is a much wider range of quality in the by-products available for pet food manufacturing than there is for whole meats. Whole meats are expensive, and because they are expensive, dog food makers insist on their quality to an extent that is unreasonable when buying bargain-basement by-products. So we advise that you just avoid foods that contain by-products.

 We reject foods containing fat or protein not identified by species. Animal fat is a euphemism for a low-quality, low-priced mix of fats of uncertain origin. Meat meal could be practically anything.

 We look for whole grains and vegetables. That said, some grains and vegetables have valuable constituents that accomplish specific tasks in a dog food formula. We dont get too excited about one vegetable fragment and one grain byproduct on the ingredients panel. Our tolerance diminishes in direct proportion to the number of fragments and by-products contained in a food and the prominence on a label; the more there are, and/or the higher they appear on the ingredients list, the lower-quality the food.

 We eliminate all foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives listed on their ingredients panels. A healthy product full of top-quality ingredients shouldnt need non-nutritive additives to make it look or taste better. And plenty of good natural preservatives (such as rosemary, and vitamins A and C) can be used instead.

 We eliminate all foods with added sweeteners. Dogs, like people, enjoy sweet foods. Like people, they can develop a taste for these nutritionally empty calories.

Back to Basics ~ Meadville, PA Chicken and Pork formulas made by CJ Foods, Pawnee City, NECOMMENT: Company was sold to Dad's Pet Care in 2009. Manufacturing scheduled to move to Dad's own plant in PA. Company says all ingredience will continue to be USA sourced and manufactured.

Fromm Family Foods ~ Mequon, WI Four-Star Entrees (6 varieties including 1 grain-free) Gold Nutritionals (5 varieties) Classics (2 varieties)NOTE: All Fromm's dry foods made at their own plant in Mequon, WICOMMENT: Four-Star foods contain the most ingredients and variety, Gold line is formulated with multiple animal protein sources, Classic line formulated with chicken as major source.

Laughing Dog, Inc. ~ Lodi, CA Young Dog Brave Dog Wise DogNOTE: All foods made by Taplow Feeds, Chilliwack, BC, CanadaCOMMENT: Company says these make Laughing Dog superior: a vacuum infusion process that infuses (rather then just coats) the kibble with enzymes and probiotics, and its use of coconut oil in the formula.

Merrick Pet Care ~ Amarillo, TX Merrick Dog Food (7 varieties) Before Grain (3 varieties)NOTE: All Merrick dog foods are made at their plant in Hereford, TXCOMMENT: Available via direct shipping with no shipping charges in the U.S.

Mulligan Stew Pet Food ~ Jackson, WY Mulligan Stew (3 varieties) made by Mountain Country Foods, Okeene, OKCOMMENT: All dry foods are baked, not extruded. Company says all ingredients are sourced in from U.S. farms and ranches.

Sure it is - see Natura. I thought you were feeding Chicken Soup which is what I feed. I throw some Fromm in there occasionally too. They also get a dollop of pumpkin, yogurt, mackerel... on a regular basis too.

Sure it is - see Natura. I thought you were feeding Chicken Soup which is what I feed. I throw some Fromm in there occasionally too. They also get a dollop of pumpkin, yogurt, mackerel... on a regular basis too.

Ohhh! Thanks... I was looking under the E's.

I did feed Chicken Soup but for some reason I read stuff on the EVO stuff that made me think it was better. Can't remember though.

I bought food the other day and the gal gave me a brochure for Nature's Variety Instinct Raw. Haven't checked it out yet.